Guardian Angel
by Dreamin' Of Sirius
Summary: Sweets spills the beans, and Dr. Brennan knows just who to call to save the day...or Zach. And it seems like Hodgins isn't as crazy with his conspiracy and secret organization theories as everyone thought... could possibly be added to if people like it..
1. Guardian Angel

_Guardian Angel_

A/N: So I don't know about you, but I hated how they took Zach out. I had the idea for this for a while now. And I decided to write this little thing. Basically, a secret peace organization exists, and the lovely Temperance Brennan knows about it. Read and Review!

Lance Sweets had just made a mistake. _A big mistake._ He had betrayed doctor-patient confidentiality. Five shocked faces looked back at him, mouths wide open. _'I shouldn't have said that! Oh man I'm so dead!'_

"But…but that's impossible! He confessed guilty!" Jack Hodgins stammered.

"What are you playing at here Sweets?" Booth asked.

Sweets sighed. "He said he never killed anyone and he confessed guilty because he knew he would never make it in prison." He said reluctantly.

Brennan got up and left the diner, slamming the door behind her.

Everyone had the same thoughts running through their minds, _there has to be a way to get him back. _

The next day found Temperance Brennan in Limbo, identifying the remains of a young girl killed in World War II. She couldn't focus though, as her mind kept reverting back to her old assistant and Sweets' slip up the night before. She had to help him. But how? Who had enough power to get Zach out and give him his life back?

She looked at the remains before her, and it was as if a light bulb had gone off in her head.

She rushed back to the lab and found everyone talking on top of the platform.

"I know how to save Zach!" She exclaimed.

Angela looked at her best friend with a sad smile on her face. "Sweetie, we were just talking about it. There's no way they're going to believe a guy in a mental institution saying he's not guilty. Even if we believe him."

Booth looked at his partner. "Yeah, Bones. And Caroline isn't going to be much help either. She put him in there in the first place." He said.

But Brennan wasn't backing down. "No. I know what I'm talking about. And I know exactly who to call." She said with forceful determination and rushed to her office, leaving her friends with confused expressions on their faces.

"Tempe?" A surprised voice said over the phone.

"Listen. I need a huge favor. But I don't want to discuss it over the phone. Can you come to the Jeffersonian?" Brennan asked.

"Um. Yeah, sure. What's going on?" The voice asked.

"I don't have time to explain right now. I'll see you soon." Brennan said. Everything was going to be ok. She had a feeling her old grad student would be back in the lab in no time.

A half hour later found a Mercedes parking in the parking lot, and a young woman of average height getting out and rushing into the building. A simple flash of a card got her passed through security like royalty.

Brennan was waiting on the platform with the rest of the team, almost jumping with excitement.

"Bones, relax!" Booth told his partner for the millionth time. But she wasn't listening. Her clear blue eyes caught the green ones belonging to her long time friend and she took off running.

"Tempe!"

"Alyssa!"

The two women crashed into each other and hugged like the old time friends that they were.

Brennan led the young girl to everyone else, who was looking with surprise at the newcomer.

"Everybody I'd like you to meet my old friend Alyssa Holloway. I think she can help us with our little…situation. Alyssa meet my partner Booth." She started pointing out everyone. "That's Angela. I've told you about her before. That there is Jack Hodgens. The other one is Dr. Saroyan, she's the boss."

Alyssa shook hands with everyone in turn. "You don't look to be over 25," Angela said, analyzing the girl's features.

Alyssa's smile widened even more. "21, actually. My birthday was in August."

"Bones how is a 21-year old, no offence, going to help us out with Zach?" Booth questioned.

Alyssa turned to her friend. "Yeah Tempe, what exactly am I doing here?"

Brennan just smiled conspiratorially. "Let's start from the beginning…"

Almost 45 minutes later had Alyssa sitting on a stool, flabbergasted at what she had heard.

"So you want me to get your little genius out and have the charges dropped?" She asked Brennan.

"Yes."

"And you believe him?"

"Yes."

"Ok." Alyssa nodded.

"WHAT?!?!?! That's it?" Booth exclaimed.

Alyssa threw up her hands. "Hey, as long as Tempe believes him, I have no problem."

Hodgens looked at her skeptically. "How're you going to do it? He," he jabbed a thumb in Booth's direction, "is FBI and he can't."

Alyssa and Brennan looked at each other with knowing grins. Brennan then looked at the bugs and slime scientist. "Let's just say, Jack, that you're not COMPLETELY wrong about secret organizations.

_Rosenthal Insane Asylum, two days later_

The board looked at the woman before them. She was dressed in black pants, high heels, and a black top with a gold sash around the waist. And they couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth.

Finally, the chairman spoke up. "You want us to believe that you used a genius in an investigation, then had him arrested for murder, pleaded guilty to the charges, and locked him up inside this asylum, just so you could protect him from the murderer? And now you want to talk to him and let him go free?" He asked incredulously. 

Alyssa looked at the man before her. "Yes, Doctor Richards. That is exactly what I'm saying. And it's not the first time you've dealt with my family. You remember my father, Cole Holloway?" She asked with a smile.

Richards' face paled. "Ah, yes of course. Well then. I'll have Mr. Addy placed in one of the rooms where you may speak with him." He said.

"Alone."

"Of course Ms. Holloway."

The other board members looked at their boss. "But sir…" one started. Richards however, raised a hand to silence the other doctors. "Trust me everyone. These are people in high places that you do not want to mess with."

Alyssa stopped on her way out. "Right you are Doc. Right you are." She said with a smile.

A rather strong and mean looking man entered the holding room. Zach sat there, gloved hands folded in his lap, staring at his surroundings. His hair had grown out to the mop it had been, and his muscles were more toned, seeing as there wasn't much else to do in the facility.

_There's no such thing as a sane squint. _He thought, closing the door behind him.

Zach turned around at the noise, looking at the stranger with alarm.

"Relax, Zach. I'm here because of Dr. Brennan." He said to the younger man.

Zach's brows furrowed together. "Dr. Brennan? But why?"

He smiled at the doctor. "Apparently some guy named Sweets had a little bit of trouble keeping his mouth shut, and ended up spilling the beans to everyone. I'm here to get you out."

Zach looked at her in dismay. "I knew I should never have said anything to Sweets. I won't last in prison. Just let me stay here." He said.

The turned her head to the side and took a seat across from him. "They believe you. And they want you back in the lab. My boss is getting the charges dropped. You can leave." She said with a smile.

Zach looked at her with disbelief. "But…but…but HOW? Do you have that kind of power?"

The man looked back with a smile.

"I don't. But she does."

_The Jeffersonian. On top of the Platform_

Jack paced. Angela doodled on her sketch pad. Cam tapped her nails on the table. Brennan kept rearranging her tools. And Booth was losing it.

"Can everyone please stop!" He finally yelled. They all stopped and looked at him before resuming their previous activities. "Ok look, this isn't getting us anywhere. If something is happening, then…"

"Missed me?" A voice interrupted from the door way.

All heads whipped around to find Zach Addy, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, followed by the large man from before.

"ZACH!" All the voices chorused, rushing to meet their friend. He was greeted with a massive group hug and "Oh my god" and "I can't believe she did it!" and "welcome back man" and "now I owe Bones 20 bucks."

Zach laughed a genuine laugh as he pushed his friends off of him. "Thanks guys. But why AM I here?"

Brennan stepped forward. "Because you're innocent and you're our friend. You belong up there on that platform with us. And…and we love you." She hugged him again, tears in her eyes. He hugged her back just as tightly; glad to be with the people he loved again.

Brennan then turned to the man standing behind Zach, arms folded in front of him. "Thanks O'Brien. Where is she?"

"You're welcome Dr. Brennan." O'Brien said. "She…"

"I'm right here." Alyssa stepped forward and Brennan rushed to her, engulfing her in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "You're welcome," Alyssa whispered back. Agent O'Brien took this as his cue to leave.

"See you back at headquarters H."

They separated and Alyssa stepped towards the man she had freed. _For a squint, he's pretty good looking. _She thought, staring into his warm eyes.

"You must be Zach Addy. I'm Alyssa Holloway." She said with her trademark smile.

Zach was staring at the gorgeous girl in front of him. "Um…uh…hi. Thanks. For, you know." He shook her hand. "Innocent people shouldn't be there." She replied.

Everyone watched the spectacle, seeing sparks fly between the two.

Finally, Hodgins clapped his hands together and cleared his throat, ending the moment. "So. We should go celebrate. I'm buying."

Booth smiled and led his partner out. "I'm good with that. Maybe Bones will try some pie." He said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Brennan smiled, but didn't reject the gesture. "Not happening."

Zach was still staring at Alyssa until Cam and Angela took each of his arms and led him away, laughing and whispering. Jack turned to the young girl behind him who had given him back his best friend. He put his arm around her shoulder and said: "So tell me about the secret peace organization your family started…Agent Holloway."

Alyssa looked at him with surprise, then amusement. "How did you…?"

"The last name. The agent that called you H. The dog tag around your name that has 000 engraved into it. I'm not the conspiracy expert for nothing baby…sorry about the baby comment. Habit."

"You know I'll have to kill you now, right?" She winked as they walked away…

The end…for now.

Push that button and tell me what you think…please? With a pretty cherry, some whip cream, and sprinkles on top?


	2. HollowayAlyssa Holloway

A/N: I guess people kind of liked this. Lol. Here's chapter 2 where we find out more about Alyssa and how Brennan knows her. It's a little crazy and unrealistic, but hey, that's fan fiction for you. By the way, I'm changing around some of the ages to fit the story better.

Brennan: 28

Booth: 32

Cam: 31

Angela: 24

Hodgins: 25

Zach: 23

Sweets: 23

Alyssa: 21

_Holloway…Alyssa Holloway_

Alyssa looked around table at everyone talking and laughing with Zach, and she felt good about what she had done. It hadn't been all that easy. Rules numbers one through three: don't let anyone find out about the organization, don't let anyone find out who's in the organization especially yourself, and if facts fall into the wrong hands…take care of it. And having been born into the family that had created the Bureau of International Relations and being destined to take it over someday soon was not easy.

Feeling eyes on her, Alyssa snapped out of her trance to see Jack looking at her.

"So…Alyssa…tell us about…you know." He asked.

Alyssa and Brennan both looked around the crowded diner. "This isn't the best place to be discussing these things." Brennan answered.

Everyone turned to her. "Wait, you know?" Hodgins asked curiously.

"It's okay Tempe. No one's going to be able to hear us anyway. But keep it quiet." Alyssa said.

Everyone's interest was piqued at this point. "Okay sweetie, start from the beginning. How did you two meet?" Angela asked.

"Well, it was seven years ago, when I was 21 and Alyssa was 14…"

_21 Year old Temperance Brennan stepped into the new training facility in DC, where an ex army professional was giving lessons in self defense and martial arts. She hadn't done this for some time, so she felt the need to brush up on her skills. _

_Next to the man, a young girl, still in her teens, was standing. Her dark brown hair was piled into a bun, and about twenty people, mostly women, sat facing the instructor. _

_When it came time to pair up and practice, everyone had a partner except Brennan. The young girl stepped up to her and offered her hand. _

"_I'm Alyssa Holloway. I'll practice with you." _

_Brennan took the hand reluctantly. She wasn't really into meeting new people. "Temperance Brennan. Pleasure to meet you." She said reluctantly. _

_They spent the next hour practicing, Alyssa dropping Brennan on her back every few minutes, though the older woman tried her hardest…and was getting frustrated. _

"_How can you be so good at this? You're no older than fifteen!" She exclaimed with frustration._

_Alyssa only gave her a half smirk. "Fourteen actually. And see the instructor over there?" She pointed to the tall man with his hands behind him, looking between the different pairings. "His name is James Fletcher. My godfather and mentor. I'm also best friends with his son. He's been teaching me anything and everything he knows for years." _

_They talked until the lesson was over. _

"_You're a lot smarter and more mature than other kids your age." Brennan said. She was actually beginning to like the kid. "I'd like to be your partner again actually. There's a lot in your technique that I want to learn." _

_Alyssa gave her a secretive grin. "Till next time Tempe." _

_One year later: _

"_Are you ever going to tell me where you always disappear to and why you're so secretive about your family?" Brennan asked Alyssa. They had become friends since the initial meeting and Temperance really liked the girl and vice versa. _

_Alyssa looked uncomfortable and looked away before turning her gaze back to her friend. _

"_Hey look. I'm not asking you to tell me everything but I shared with you. I told you about my parents, Russ, the system, everything." Brennan said with a hurt look. _

"_Alright. I'll tell you. But you have to promise me you won't ever tell another soul…ever. Not even the remains that you work with." Alyssa said with a serious look as Brennan nodded. _

"_My great grandfather died fighting in World War II, when my granddad was only 5. My great grandmother got remarried, but raised her kids always knowing about their biological father, even if they loved their step dad. So when my grandfather turned 21 in 1959 and the Cold War was already going on, he started a peace organization like the U.N._

_But one where the people were able to use force if necessary to keep the peace. It spread like wildfire with the U.N. and in the 70s, a lot more countries wanted to be a part of it. That's why there's basically a constitution and to this day, almost every country in the world recognizes the Bureau of International Relations as an active force. Then he married my grandmother and they had dad a year later and he basically grew up in headquarters and trained to take on the legacy. Met my mom when he was 22 and they had yours truly in Dutch, half Chinese. Full screwed up. _

_I went through the same thing except stricter. Started dancing at 3. Martial arts at 7. Learned to use weapons at 12. Got long range training at 14. Most of this stuff I learned from Uncle James, but dad pitched in. And that's my story." _

_Brennan was just staring at her. Then she did a very un-Brennan like thing: she reached over and pulled Alyssa into a bone crushing hug. And that's when they knew could trust each other with absolutely anything…_

_Four Years Later…_

"_I have to go now." Alyssa said through tears._

"_I don't understand why you have to leave. You're only 19! It's dangerous!" Brennan said stubbornly, her arms crossed. _

"_It's only a year. I'll be back before you know it, Doctor Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institution." The younger girl said with a teary smile. _

_Brennan laughed and hugged her friend to her. "I really wish you had time to meet Angela. You two never had schedules that worked out."_

"_We'll meet someday. Right now, it's best for both of us if she doesn't know about me." _

"Wow." Cam said. "That's one hell of a story."

Angela looked scandalized. "So that's why I never knew you!"

Brennan looked at her best friend. "I'm sorry Ang, but it was for the best. But now you know her."

"True." Angela replied sulkily.

Zach still looked confused. "Wait, so how were you able to get me out?" He asked.

Alyssa looked at Booth, then to Zach. "We have jurisdiction way outranking the military, the FBI, the CIA, and any other place you can think of. No offense Agent Booth." She said.

Hodgins and Sweets looked fascinated. "Secret organizations involving almost the entire world when there's no record of it existing…I like it." The former said with a crazy glint in his eye.

Angela looked wryly at her ex. "Whoa there Jack. Chill out. You have that crazy twitchy thing going on with your eye again." She turned to Alyssa. "He only gets like that when he hears something like this. Or about aliens. Or bugs. Depends on his mood."

A/N: A short one, I know. The next will be longer I promise. And way more Zach/Alyssa. And Booth finds out something very interesting about our favorite new character.


	3. Booth vs Holloway

Chapter 3: Booth versus Holloway

It had been a month since Zach had been cleared of all charges and everything at the Jeffersonian was back to norm… as much as it had ever been. Alyssa had been around more often, forming a friendship with all the squints. Especially a certain Doctor Addy.

Agent Booth walked into the Jeffersonian, making his way to his partner's office, a file in his hands. "Hey Bones! We have a case." He thrust the file into her hands.

"Victim is female, between 25 and 30 years old. I need to see the remains to determine the cause of death." She said, looking up from the file in her hands.

"Way ahead of you there Bones. The guys just brought her in." Booth smiled as they made their way to the platform.

The team was already assembled around the body, Cam taking tissue samples and the others waiting for their turn.

"What do we have Zach?" Brennan asked the other doctor.

Zach kept looking at the body in front of him. "Female, 25 to 30 years old, approximately five feet four inches tall, Caucasian. Cause of death was a gunshot wound to the heart. I'll have the bones cleaned so we can determine any other injuries to the bones."

Brennan looked closely at the severely decomposed body. "There appears to be something around her neck. A necklace of some sort. Hodgins, take a look at that and see what it is."

Cam took something out of the victim's hand. "There appears to be a piece of paper lodged into her hand, pre mortem." She said.

Angela took the paper with a look of disgust on her face. "I'll see what I can get out of it." She said, turning to go to her office.

Booth grinned. "Okay, just give me something to…"

"You looked me up." A voice said from behind him. Everyone turned to see a livid Alyssa making her way up the platform.

Brennan looked between her partner and her friend. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Your partner here tried to look me up in the FBI database." Alyssa said, never taking her eyes off Booth.

"How did you even find out?" He asked incredulously.

"That's not the point. Booth, why would you do that?" Brennan turned to her partner.

Booth looked at her, his voice rising. "You know what Bones? We barely know anything about her, and I was trying to play it safe. And guess what? Her name doesn't turn up in the databases." He said.

Everyone looked to Alyssa for a reaction. "That's because my file is confidential. You want to check up on me, ask Cullen. He can get permission to access the files." She said bitingly.

Angela came up to the rest, sensing the tension in the air. "I tried to look up anyone with those finger prints in the database, but it all came up empty. I can find a face if I have the skull to work with." She said.

"Hey look at this!" Hodgins said, pointing to the necklace that had been around the victim's neck. "It looks like…a tag of some sort. I'll try to find what it's made of. And there seems to be a number of sorts engraved into it."

Alyssa pushed past Booth to get a closer look at the screen. She then looked at the notes Zach had made on the victim. Her voice caught in her throat as she spoke. "Silver chain and tag. The numbers…" She took a deep breath, "the numbers are 019." She turned to Brennan. "Agent 019. Marissa Engle." She then looked at Booth. "Looks like we'll be investigating this together." She said.

"Sir I can't work with her!" Booth told Director Cullen.

Cullen was a no nonsense type man. And right now, one of his best agents was giving him a load of nonsense. He didn't like working with the Commander of Operations at the BIR any more than Booth. "Agent Booth keep your voice down! She has jurisdiction over the FBI in this case and you WILL work together." Cullen said in a tone that suggested finality.

"Yes sir." Booth replied sulkily. Alyssa flashed him a victorious grin. "Any sort of exposure, Cullen," she turned to the older man, "And I will have the FBI stripped of their jurisdiction to take this case." She said. Cullen only nodded. It was best to let these people have the final word if one wanted to live to see the next day.

The trio made their way back to the lab in silence: Booth sulking, Alyssa checking her phone, and Brennan staring out the window.

"Hey Alyssa?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah Tempe?"

"Why…why would someone want to kill her?"

Alyssa looked down uncomfortably and didn't answer. Booth looked through the mirror at the young girl and felt bad about his recent actions. "Look. If we're going to work together, you need to trust us." He said in a soft tone.

Alyssa looked up at him, surprised at his tone. "She was working on a private case for me. I've been suspecting a mole in the company for a while now. Looks like whoever it is got to her before she could tell me anything." She said with despair.

"It'll be ok. We'll find out who did this. Won't we Booth?" Brennan asked her partner.

He smiled and kept driving. "We always do."

Everyone had been working twice as hard since they had been informed of the situation. Booth and Alyssa sat on the couches, looking down at the scientists working hard in the lab. There was a silence between them, but not as uncomfortable as it had been.

"You were an army ranger. Sniper." She suddenly said.

"You looked me up?"

"Naturally. Figured I'd return the favor."

Booth laughed. "Yeah."

"James Fitzgerald."

"What?"

"Do you know him?"

The wheels in Booth's head were turning. Why was that name so familiar? "He was there. He was a sniper with us. We called him Fitz." He suddenly said. "You know him?"

Alyssa chuckled. "He's my dad's best friend. My godfather. I'm best friends with his son, Finn." At Booth's puzzled expression she added, "Tell me about it. He hates being called by his full name. Uncle James' wife is Australian. They lived there for a while. Finn has the accent."

"Oh yeah, now I remember the kid. Fitz mentioned something about him on one of the nights. Said he ate dirt a lot." He said.

Alyssa laughed harder. "Yeah, that was my fault. I used to push his face in the dirt when I got mad."

They laughed together until they were silent again. Booth looked at her, seeing a scared young woman next to him instead of the tough shell she always had. "You know kid, you're not that bad."

Alyssa took it as a compliment, knowing it was the best she would get from him. At least for a while.

"Hey you two! Found something!" Angela yelled up.

_Daisies are growing a few feet from a hollow tree that shades the headstones. There is a dolphin sleeping underneath that will be thrown in the lake soon. Then the tree can be cut down. _

_Old gushr _

"What is that supposed to even mean?" Cam asked.

"Marissa knew. She figured it out. That's why she was killed." Booth said.

Zach looked at the screen critically. "The message doesn't make sense. The combinations are inaccurate."

"I concur," Brennan said. "None of this fits."

Cam looked at the scientists with a look resembling annoyance. "This is exactly what you shouldn't be doing. This is a coded message from someone on the inside. Look underneath the surface."

Alyssa's brows were furrowed in confusion. "Daisies…tree…dolphin…" A look of recognition crossed her face. "I know what it means." She pushed past Booth and looked closer at the screen. Everyone looked at her expectantly. "Daisies are growing. That's the people that are being killed."

"Daisies are the flowers symbolizing death." Zach elaborated.

"Right! Then there's the hollow tree. Holloway. The shades the rest of the graves. I protect the people at the company."

"Headstones display names and other personal information." Zach said with a calculating look.

"What about the dolphin?" Booth asked.

"Could be a place." Hodgins said.

"No it's an animal. It has to represent something. Or someone." Angela added.

Brennan and Alyssa caught each other's eyes. "Finn." They said simultaneously.

"Who's Fin?" Zach asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice, though no one noticed.

Booth finally caught on. "That's her friend and coworker. I'm guessing he's next."

"No. They don't need him. 'Thrown in the lake.' Finn's going away on…uh…business soon for a few weeks." Alyssa said. "What I don't get is the name at the end."

"Gold rush!" Zach exclaimed. He then moved over to the screen and stood beside Alyssa. "The gold rush was mainly based in California. That's where your person is from. You need to find out who's from California and close enough to get information." He told her.

"You are brilliant!" Alyssa said happily. She then did something totally unexpected. Stand up on her toes and pulling Zach's neck down, she gave him a loud kiss on the cheek before running out of Angela's office.

Everyone's jaws had dropped at the display, but no one was as surprised as Zach, whose eyes had gone wide and he was sporting a goofy grin on his face.

"Way to go Zach!" Hodgins said, slapping his best friend on the back.

A/N: I thought that would be a good place to end it. Who is our killer? And the kiss? Tell me what you think. If you click the review button it giggles like Tickle Me Elmo. Just kidding. That's pretty creepy.


	4. Frustrations

**A/N: Here's chapter 4, where we meet a very special person from Alyssa's life. You'll find out a lot more about him in, I think, Chapter 8…hopefully. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Chapter 4: Frustrations**

Every day for the past week Alyssa had locked herself up in her office, the note they had found projected on one of the monitors, staring her in the face. Every waking moment was spent trying to figure out who was after her and her friends. Because that's what everyone here was to her: a friend.

She was brought back down to reality when a knock sounded on her door. "Hey boss," the man at the door said, "Got a minute?" Receiving the okay, he fully stepped into the office. His name was Jason Hart. He had short dark hair, was about 5 feet 8 inches, and at 37 was a heart throb in the work place. But to Alyssa, he had always been the big brother she never had. Even though he was a bachelor-for-life type he was sweet and caring and could make anyone feel better with a joke.

"Jason, hi. What can I do for you?" Alyssa said with a smile and turned off the monitor with the note on it.

"Two things actually. One, I was wondering if I could have next week off to visit some family, and two, everyone's ready for the meeting." He said.

She mentally slapped herself. She had forgotten all about the meeting. "Oh ok. Yeah, um, I'll be right there." She said.

The meeting had dragged on slowly. Old assignments had been reviewed, new ones had been given out, and by the end of the two hours, and Alyssa was exhausted beyond belief. Walking out of the room with files in her hands, she saw Jason leaning against the door and gave him a tired smile.

"So…what's the verdict? Can I have next week off?" He asked.

She thought about for a few seconds. "Yes. There isn't that much going on right now and there are other people that can cover for a few days in case something happens. Where are you going anyway?" She said.

"Washington." At her impressed look her continued. "Yeah, I have family up there and some old friends too. Thanks boss. I'll see you in a week." He said, walking away with a smile.

Alyssa shook her head and walked back towards her office. Jason had been working there since she was little. He was one of the people her dad trusted the most in this place, and he never really trusted many people.

As she sank into the bath that night, she thought about the information she had found. None of her 300 people had anything to do with California. Not that she had seen anyway. She had even talked to her dad. No luck there either. He was in Canada, taking a vacation with her mother to see Alyssa's grandparents and spend some quality time with his wife.

As she was mulling over these thoughts, her phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked with a groan.

"Am I interrupting something dirty? Because it sounds like I'm interrupting a special, dirty moment?" The other person asked.

"Finn! No you pig! I'm just in the bath!" She answered and subconsciously sunk further in the water.

"Oooh,sure. That's hot!" She could hear the smile in his voice.

"What do you want Finn?"

"Food."

"You always want food you animal. Why call me?"

"Because, darling, I leave in two days and who knows how long it'll be before you see my gorgeous face. So I want to take you out to dinner and watch as you cry over how much you'll miss me."

Right then, her call waiting showed that Temperance was on the other line.

"Hang on Finn." She pushed the button. "Hello?" (A/N: have you noticed you do that even when you know who the person on the line is?)

"Hey. We're all going out to dinner soon, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us." She asked.

"Hang on Tempe." She pushed the button again. "Hey Finn? Yeah that was Tempe. She asked me to dinner too."

"Ok then tell her that you will meet her at Sid's (because everyone loves Sid) in a few minutes. It's about damn time I met the squint squad." He said with a laugh.

"Alright. I'll be there in half an hour. Bye Finny." She hung up on him and pushed the button again. "Hey Tempe you still there?"

"Yeah. So are you coming?"

"Meet us at Sid's in half an hour."

"Who's us?"

"Finn wants to come too. He's leaving in a few days." She could practically hear the smile on Brennan's face.

"See you then. Bye."

"And that's how we officially became best friends!" Finn said to the table of laughing people.

"I can't believe you shoved his face in the dirt!" Booth said through his laughter.

"He pulled my hair and called me a girly girl! I had to show him I wasn't!" Alyssa said defensively.

"It's ok love. Though that's when I learned not to mess with her!" The light haired Aussie laughed.

It had been two hours since they had all met for dinner and there hadn't been a silent or awkward moment. Brennan had brought Cam, Zach, Booth, and Hodgins, as Angela had opted out for an evening alone with Roxy. They had all accepted Finn with open arms and the rest of the time had been spent telling jokes and funny stories.

"As much as I hate to, I think it's time to call it a night." Cam said and everyone got up to go home. "Finn it was nice to meet you."

"You definitely have to come out with us again." Booth said and shook his hand.

"It had been way too long." Brennan hugged him.

"That it has. But may I say the years have done you extremely well." Finn said and gave her a twirl.

"When do you come back?" Hodgins asked.

Finn gave Alyssa a questioning look, as if asking her, _when DO I come back? _"A week and a half tops. It shouldn't take that long." She said.

Everyone had left for their cars except her and Zach, who was waiting for Hodgins to bring the car there. The two looked at each other and smiled. Alyssa stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his middle, giving him a tight hug. At first he was shocked, but then he tentatively wrapped his arms around her.

It felt so…natural to have her in his arms. They stayed like that for a few seconds until the sound of a horn made them part.

"Good night Zach." She said and walked away.

"Good night." He whispered to himself.

"So…" Jack looked at his best friend, wearing a huge smile on his face.

"I don't want to talk about it." Zach said adamantly, staring straight at the road.

Hodgins didn't respond and neither talked for the rest of the way, but both were smiling.

Later that same night, Alyssa's bedroom

_Gold rush…gold rush…_

Her eyes snapped open. Her face was covered in cold sweat. The dream had been happening since that note was uncovered. She was running down an alley, clothes torn and dirty and covered in blood, when someone grabbed her from behind. She would scream and scream and nothing would come out. The assailant would turn her around and before she could see the face the nightmare would end.

**A/N: Like it? Hate it? REVIEW!!! Tell me your favorite part. Mine was the hug. What do you think about Finn? **

**Next chapter is ALL about Alyssa and Zach! Ok that's a lie, but it's MOSTLY them. **


	5. Memory is the Key

**Chapter 5: Heart to Heart **

Zach was in one of the examination rooms, looking over the body of a 165 year old skeleton that was just brought into the Jeffersonian. He was staring at the skeleton so intently that he didn't notice the figure leaning against the door, arms crossed.

"What happened to this one?" She said, walking into the room and pointing to the skeleton.

Zach's eyes lit up at the sound of her voice and butterflies erupted in his stomach as he took in her appearance. She was dressed in a tight pair of dark blue jeans and an off the shoulder white top. Her hair was let loose just the way he loved, though he wouldn't tell her that.

"Trauma to the chest shows gunshot wound. Probably a soldier in the Civil War." He said. He took off his gloves and led her up to the platform.

"I haven't heard from you in a few days." He said, looking intently in her eyes. She, however, shifted her gaze. She couldn't look him in the eye. "Yeah, I had to take care of something at work." She looked at him and smiled again. "That's why I came here now. To catch up."

He wasn't completely convinced though. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

Alyssa's smile widened. "Everything is completely fine." She saw his demeanor relax and cursed herself for lying to him. "Where is everyone?"

"Dr. Saroyan is in a meeting with some of the sponsors, Jack is sleeping in, Angela took the day off, and Dr. Brennan is out with Booth." He responded. "Did you need to talk to any of them?" He masked his disappointment.

"Nope. I came here to talk to you actually."

"About what?" He gave her a questioning glance.

"Well, I was actually wondering if you could keep something for me." She hopped off the desk and pulled out what looked like a fancy USB drive from her pocket.

He gave her an adorably confused look. "Keep this for me until I see you again?" She asked. He didn't respond, just nodded his head. "Thanks Zach, you're the best." She gave him a long hug and took in the intoxicating and amazing scent of his after shave. It would be so hard to not see him…

"What is it? Why can't you leave it in your office?" He asked.

She gave him a secretive grin. "Memory is the key." At his explain-yourself-now look she just said "You'll see."

She began to walk away, but suddenly turned around. He looked up at her when she said "By the way, he likes his speed." And before he could ask her what that meant, she had walked out of the lab.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Gold Rush watched her get out of her car. _Soon, you ignorant fool_,_ you will pay very soon for all the pain and humiliation you caused me…_

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Sasha knocked on the door that read 'Commanding Officer A. Holloway' and went inside without being welcomed in.

Alyssa looked up to see Sasha Price walk into her office and her brows furrowed. If there was one person she couldn't stand it was the fake redhead standing in front of her. She had a slim body, fake boobs, and long, blonde-dyed- auburn hair and threw herself at any man that walked by. She hated the young Holloway because not only was Alyssa her boss, but she was also best friends with super hunk Finn Fitzgerald, who never paid her the slightest attention and called her Malibu Barbie behind her back.

Aside from her annoying part (which was most of her), Sasha was a capable and conniving agent, and Alyssa would never underestimate her.

"What can I do for you Agent Price?" She said formally.

Sasha looked at her with her usual haughty expression. "I just came to remind you that I'll be in California with some girlfriends for a couple of days. Remember? I told you about it ages ago."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and closed the file she was working on. "Yes I remember. Have fun." She said sarcastically.

"Oh I will." Sasha smirked. "You know, you really should try getting a tan. Staying in here all day has made you even paler than normal." Before Alyssa could retaliate, Sasha had walked out the door.

… _California?! _Alyssa thought to herself.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

_9:38 P.M. Alyssa's house_

She threw her keys on the table next to the door and stepped into the kitchen. The house was way too big for her liking, but she knew that's where she had to live. No moving. Ever. It was large and made of stone, five levels and a basement, a large kitchen which she adored, and marble floors. Basically, too big for a 21 year old. Though not as big as Jack's house.

She sighed and made her way towards her office, but stopped when she noticed some of the picture frames had been moved around. Senses alert, she drew her gun and walked quietly through the house, checking the bathrooms and closets, and finding nothing.

"I never knew it would be this easy." A hand covered her mouth.

Instincts took over her as she recognized the voice. The assailant grabbed her around the middle and fumbled. Alyssa's gun dropped from her hand and she shoved her attacker into the table. But before she could scream, something slammed against the back of her head.

And then it all went black…

**A/N: Uh Oh. Poor Alyssa. That's going to be one hell of a headache…REVIEW!!! **


	6. Savin' Me

**Chapter 6: Savin' Me**

_Noon, the Jeffersonian_

"SHE HAS BEEN MISSING FOR 40 HOURS AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN?!?!" Brennan screamed at Booth. Alyssa had been missing for 2 days and she had been going crazy trying to find her friend. Her parents were unreachable, Finn had already been notified, but the FBI or the police couldn't take action seeing as how it hadn't been 48 hours yet.

Booth cowered away from his partner. "What do you want me to do Bones? I can't call an investigation yet."

Brennan stopped pacing and turned to him with a furious gaze, "We are going to her house right now to check the place." She said.

"But…" Booth protested.

"Seeley Booth I am going there with or without you. Now which one is it going to be?" She said. Then she turned on her heel and marched right out of the lab.

Booth grudgingly got up and turned to Cam and the rest of the squints, who looked on with wide eyes. "See what I have to deal with?" He said and ran after his partner. "Hey Bones! Wait up!"

Angela watched him run. "He is so whipped. And they aren't even going out yet." She said when she was sure he was out of ear shot.

Cam looked on with her. "Here here."

Jack looked to his left, where Zach was staring into space. He clapped the young man on the back, bringing him out of his reverie. "We'll find her man." Zach had already told them about his conversation with Alyssa two days before, which is why they believed something terrible had happened.

Zach looked down. "I'm worried."

"So are we."

_12:30 Hillside manor_

Booth broke into Alyssa's house, his weapon drawn. "Wow, this place is huge!" He whispered. Brennan responded by slapping his arm and walking through the foyer to the other side. "There's no one here." She said.

Booth was checking the kitchen when he heard his partner gasp. He ran over to where she was standing, tears in her eyes and hand over her mouth. "What…" He didn't finish his sentence and looked at his surroundings.

The mirror in the hallway was broken. Her gun had slid to the double doors of her office. The desk was moved and picture frame of Alyssa and Finn that rested on it was on the ground, the glass smashed. Brennan bent down and picked it up, brushing the dirt off of it. That's when she noticed the blood on the ground.

"Oh my God." Booth whispered. Brennan threw herself into his arms and wept. Booth silently wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

_1:32 back at the Jeffersonian, Brennan's office_

"We need to find her. We need to find her NOW." Jack said. Alyssa's disappearance had affected them all. They couldn't call the police or the FBI because that would bring Alyssa's identity to question. It was all on them now.

"We're trying, dirt boy, but we don't have any leads!" Booth said with anger.

Cam looked around, being the calmest out of the group. "We're missing something here." They all turned to look at her. "Zach," she turned to him, "was there anything else that she said to you?"

Zach furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember. "She said…she said 'memory is the key' but I don't know what that means." He said.

"Did she give you anything?" A voice said from the doorway.

"Finn!" Brennan exclaimed and ran to hug him. Finn hugged her back just as tightly. "Hello love. Don't worry, we'll find her." He said, then he turned back to Zach, "Did she give you anything?" He repeated.

Zach thought for a second before realization dawned on him. "She gave me a USB drive and told me to keep it until the next time we saw each other and she said he likes speed. But again, I don't know what that means." Zach left towards the platform and everyone followed him, Booth in the back with Finn. "Crazy…psychotic…monkey's uncle…" He mumbled.

When they finally got to the platform, Zach had taken out the silver USB port. "Ah hell." Finn exclaimed.

"What is that?" Angela asked.

"Epselon." Finn said.

"What's Epselon?" Jack asked.

Finn looked at them with a pained expression. "A whole lot of memory." He said. "Here, plug it into my laptop; it has enough speed for Epselon to work properly."

Zach plugged in the port and then plugged the laptop into one of the monitors on the platform. The screen went black and a few seconds later another opened, requesting a four digit entry number. Finn went to the computer and typed it in, then another screen opened asking for a user ID. He typed in something that no one saw, but the program granted him access and immediately brought up several applications.

Zach clicked on the map in the corner, and a screen showed up with all the states and a list to the side with the codenames of all the agents that worked in the company.

"How the hell are we supposed to go through all these people to figure out who has Alyssa?" Angela asked.

They all looked at each other with desperation. "It had to be someone that knew her personally since they were able to break into her house." Booth said.

"Yes. So it had to be someone she trusted." Brennan continued.

"And she mainly trusts people that her father trusts." Finn added and looked at Brennan, "And Cole doesn't trust many people." They finished together.

"But who would want to hurt her?" Hodgins asked.

"Someone who had a grudge against her. Someone who wanted something she had maybe?" Booth said. "Someone who…"

"I know who took her." Zach said. Then he went to work on the computer, pushing buttons and clicking on different screens. A picture came up on the screen and everyone looked on in disbelief that a person like that could hurt their friend.

"Good job Zach." Brennan whispered.

**A/N: Well, what do you think? Who took Alyssa? A cookie to anyone who reviews and guesses, two cookies to anyone who guesses right.  
**


	7. You Found Me

**Author's Note: Ok I know it's been forever since I updated (even though it's only been a month) but I just want to thank everyone for bearing with me. School is bananas right now and chapter 7 is probably going to be the last update until May 13, which is the day of my last AP exam. But have no fear. Once that day is gone, I will be back and updates will go back to just about once every two weeks!!! Happy reading- DoS**

**Chapter 7: You Found Me**

Alyssa slowly opened her eyes. She was surrounded by darkness. Every part of her was in pain. She was crumpled on the ground, hands tied behind her back to a pipe. She had no idea how long she had been here.

"Good. You're awake."

Her head snapped up to the direction of the voice. Her eyes became slits and held deep hatred. "How could you? My father trusted you. _I _trusted you!" She yelled.

Stepping out of the darkness, Jason's figure came into view. His smile changed into a scowl at her words. "How could I? HOW COULD I? YOU TOOK THE JOB I WANTED! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE DADDY'S LITTLE PRINCESS!" He spat. He took a deep breath before continuing and smiled again. "But it doesn't matter. Because after I'm done with you, I can take back what's rightfully mine. And no one, not even those new friends of yours, are EVER going to figure out what happened to poor poor Alyssa."

"You'll pay for this. Even if I die here, my dad's never going to trust you with my job. Hell, he'd trust a three year old before he trusts you." She smirked.

He slapped her across the face in anger. He head whipped to the side and blood trickled down her lip. Her head was throbbing in pain even more now from the force of the contact.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

"Zach wait!" Booth ran after the eager genius. Zach stopped and looked at him impatiently. "Are you trying to get us killed?" The FBI agent said angrily.

Zach met his hard stare with a rare one of his own. "Alyssa could be in there dying and you want me to wait?!" He said incredulously.

Booth looked at him calmly, knowing that if it was his partner in there he would be doing the same thing.

"Zach, I know you want to get to her, but need a plan. There could be others in here." Brennan said, coming up behind Booth.

As if on cue, someone fired a gun, making the trio and the agents that were now coming up behind them duck.

They hid behind a large pillar and were soon joined by Finn, who was firing his own weapon in the direction of the others. "Zach, you go and try to find Alyssa. We all have guns, we'll hold them off." He told Zach. Then he turned to Brennan. "You have a gun?" He asked. When she nodded he said, "Good. Stay with Booth and cover each other." As an afterthought he added, "This time, try not to shoot him like you did at Halloween last year." Brennan just glared at Booth, who flushed. "What?" He said. She just shook her head and whipped out her gun.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Jason cocked his gun and held it to her head. "I'd say I'll miss you but…" He stopped when he heard footsteps outside the door. "Aw, looks like someone is about to get rescued. Too bad…" He strode out of the room, weapon in hand.

Alyssa was dizzy now. Her vision was starting to blur from the loss of blood. She could hear gunshots from outside and prayed that whoever it was was alright.

Suddenly another figure rushed into the room. "Zach?" She whispered.

"Oh my God!" He said before rushing to her side. He quickly untied her hands and started examining her all over.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered. "It's not safe."

"We're here to rescue you."

"We?"

Zach looked into her eyes. "Me, Booth, , a few FBI agents, and Finn. Did you think we wouldn't find you?" He placed a hand on her face. His heart wrenched at the state she was in. Bruised, battered, and vulnerable, she still cared more about others.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." He said.

"I don't think so." Jason said from the doorway. "How sweet is this? Yet so tragic." He mocked and kicked Zach away, pointing the gun at him. Zach hit his head hard on the ground, getting disoriented.

Suddenly Booth lunged into the room, knocking the gun out of Jason's hands and to the other side of the room. The two started wrestling on the ground, though Jason's bigger form dominated Booth, who had been injured fighting Jason's crew along with the other agents.

Jason stood up, pointing Booth's weapon at the agent and Zach. "This ends now!"

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

_Other side of the warehouse:_

Brennan threw a guy on the ground and kicked him in the face after he had tried to slap her. The FBI agents and Finn were busy handcuffing the others.

Suddenly they heard a gunshot going off at the end of the hallway, in a room with the door half open.

They rushed to the room and were met with a scene that made Brennan choke back a sob.

Alyssa was on the ground, barely alive, holding Booth's gun in her hand. Jason's body was on the ground face down, and blood trickled out of his head. Zach was trying to get up and help Booth up, who looked like he had taken a really bad hit to the ribs.

Alyssa saw Brennan in the doorway before her whole world went black.

"NO!" Someone shouted…

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

_She opened her eyes and looked around her. _What is this place? _It was the most beautiful and peaceful place she had ever seen though she didn't know why she was here. The last thing she remembered was falling and someone yelling, though she didn't know who. Alyssa looked down at herself and gasped. She was in a long white dress and her feet were bare. Someone laughed ahead of her. She looked around and saw him coming towards her, dirty blonde hair messy, soft brown eyes, and his familiar smirk in place._

"_Grady?" Alyssa said in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Am I dead?" She looked around._

**A/N: Haha! What can I say? I'm evil. Lol. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Here's a sneak peak of the next chapter, just because you guys are so awesome!**

_Alyssa and Grady sat by a cliff, looking into the abyss. "Why did you have to leave?" She asked him._

_He turned his head to look at her, then looked back out, eyes unfocused. "It was my time." _

"_But why?" _

**Press the pretty button…you know you want to…**


	8. A Matter of Life and Death

_**Previously on Guardian Angel: **_

_**Alyssa saw Brennan in the doorway before her whole world went black.**_

"_**NO!" Someone shouted…**_

"_**Grady?" Alyssa said in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Am I dead?" She looked around.**_

**Chapter 8: A Matter of Life and Death**

"_Am I actually dead?" Alyssa repeated. _

_The tall blonde boy laughed. "I don't know. Do you want to be? You've had a pretty rough few days. I think you'd be awake by now if you knew whether you want to live or not."_

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Zach POV:

She looked so peaceful laying there. She looked like she was just sleeping. Like an angel. My angel. She hadn't woken up in days and every time I looked at her I remembered how scared she had been that night and it broke my heart. It made me so angry that I wanted for _him _to be alive so I could kick his ass myself…even though he was about twice my size and could knock me out with one punch.

Her condition had been so bad that no one needed my IQ to tell that her chances weren't great. She had internal bleeding, broken ribs, and a whole bunch of other injuries that make me want to smash something when I think about them. But she is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. **(end POV)**

He reached over and took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it lightly. He had been in there longer than everyone else, though no one questioned him about it. Her mother was distraught, her father threw himself into his work, and her other friends came as often as they could while they took care of their jobs. But to Zach, his job didn't matter. Nothing mattered if the girl who had been his guardian angel didn't wake up soon…

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

_She looked at him with uncertainty. "After everything that's happened, I don't know anymore Grady. I've lost so much these past three years. You were there. You know!"_

_He gave her a disappointed look. "And you never gave up. Everything eventually gets better and you know that. Don't give up now! You have plenty of people that love and care about you. Old friends and new friends. And love." He added in a whisper._

"_I don't know about the love part…"She stepped closer to him and touched his face. He felt SO real… "You've been gone for three years. I've missed you SO much!" She cried. _

_He closed his eyes at her touch and put his own hand over hers. "I miss you too. But there's a reason why I'm here. You have to move on Alyssa. Stop living in the past. I know what happened in Russia was not your fault." She looked away but Grady took her chin in his hand and made her look into his deep brown eyes. "You HAVE to talk about it. You need to learn to let it go…" He paused. "You have to let me go."_

_She cried even harder at his words. "I don't know how." _

_He gave her a warm smile and took a step back. "I'll help you. But this is where you choose your destiny." _

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Brennan sat in the hospital room holding Alyssa's hand. The team and Alyssa's friends had been taking turns sitting in the room, hoping for something to change.

"Alyssa, if you can hear me, you have to wake up. Please Alyssa, wake up. We all need you. _I _need you. But most of all, Zach needs you. He's falling for you. You've already changed his life. He has a second chance because of you. Please, wake up." By now she was crying.

Booth, who had been standing in the door way the whole time came into the room and embraced his partner, letting her cry on his shoulder. "Bones, her parents are here."

Brennan stood up as two people stepped into the room. The man was tall and broad shouldered, short brown hair covering his head. The woman next to him was shorter, her long brown hair pulled back into a pony tail. It was easy to see where Alyssa's looks came from. She was a complete mix of both parents, though she had her dad's green eyes and her mother's hair.

"Tempe, it's so good to see you again," Mrs. Holloway said, extending her arms. Brennan hugged the older woman, both sniffling. She then hugged Cole, Alyssa's father.

"Oh, my baby." Diana went to her daughter's bed, tears falling freely now. Cole moved on to his wife and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "She killed him?" He asked Booth who nodded. "That's too bad. I wanted to beat the hell out of that Son of a Bitch." He said angrily.

They sat around the bed. For now, all they could do was wait…

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

_Alyssa and Grady sat by a cliff, looking into the abyss. "Why did you have to leave?" She asked him._

_He turned his head to look at her, then looked back out, eyes unfocused. "It was my time." _

"_But why?" _

"_Remember what you said to me that time we were all by the lake? The entire group?" He asked. "You said that death was a natural part of life. That it was stupid to fear it and do nothing. That we all had to live our lives. We may be alive…" _

"_But we're not living if we don't take chances…" Alyssa finished for him._

"_Exactly. And we lived. We took risks. That same night, after the speech, all of us jumped into the lake. In the dark. And we had the most amazing time." They both smiled at the memory. _

"_We had so many good times." She reminisced. "But now you're not there anymore. It's just me, Finn, and Sophia."_

"_Ah and how are the others doing these days?" _

"_Well, Mercy (Sophia's nickname) and Finn keep dancing around each other. She ogles men like she always has and he gets jealous. Everyone knows they should be together except them. Even Hunter and he's three!" She said with a laugh._

"_So not much has changed." He said, shaking his head. _

_Alyssa stood up and took a deep breath. "It's so peaceful here." _

_Grady stood up beside her. "It is. But it's also not where you should be." He said. _

_She spun around to face him. "What?" _

"_I'll always love you Alyssa. But it's time for you to move on with your life and leave this entire thing behind. Keep your memories, but don't live in them." And then he shoved her…_

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Jack's house looked like a funeral. Everyone was there. Booth and Bones sat on the love seat together, Jack sat in a recliner and Angela in the seat next to him, Zach was sitting on the ground, leaning on the arm of the seat Cam was in. Nikki sat on the sofa with Finn lying on the rest of it, his head in her lap and her hand playing with his hair.

The room was quiet as everyone waited for news from Alyssa's parents. In the past several days, they had gotten to know each other and be friends.

"This is ridiculous! It's not like she's dead! She's going to be totally fine! Everyone needs to snap the hell out of it!" Sophia, the outspoken one in the group said.

"Sophia's right. Us sitting here moping won't solve anything. It's not helping Alyssa either." Cam said. Everyone else in the room nodded.

"I say we all do something productive. She'll need things when she wakes up." Angela stood up. "We should get her house cleaned up of all the glass. Booth, you go pick up Parker. We'll call you if anything changes." Booth mock saluted her and stood up. "Sophia, Hodgens, Cam, and Zach," She pointed to the two, "go to her house and clean up the mess. Make it spotless," they nodded.

"Finn, Brennan, and I will go grocery shopping. There is no food either here and hospital food is nasty." When she finished everyone stood up and started heading out the door. But Angela grabbed Zach's arm and hugged him tightly. "She's going to be fine." She whispered to him. Zach nodded and offered a small smile, the first one in days, and left with his group.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

In the hospital, where the Holloways were waiting, the heart beat on the monitor suddenly beeped one last time and went dead…

**A/N: Hehe don't you just LOVE me and my cliffhangers? Sorry it took so long but exams and research papers have taken over my life! Hopefully this will make up for the wait a little. **

**Okay now this story can go two ways: Alyssa can die and leave her legacy of having changed lives or she can live and do other crazy things that'll give her friends heart attacks. Review and tell me which one is better because I could take it either way and frankly, I like them both. =)**

**Review Review Review!**


	9. Angels

**I know it's been a while, but school is almost over so updates should be a little more regular. This chapter will tie up a few loose ends and then the next will get into some good old fun. I think this story will go up to about 25 or 30 chapters and skip around a few months every now and then. BTW: character pictures are now in my profile, so check them out! So…onward! And don't forget to review! **

Chapter 9: Angels

She blinked. Then she squinted. Her eyes hurt. Hell, right now, everything hurt. It really did feel like Grady had thrown her off that cliff. She moved her hands around the bed and touched a head full of hair on her left side, right next to her rib cage. It was soft and silky. She opened her eyes and the sight melted her heart. Zack was by her side, his hand near her arm. She smoothed down his hair, relishing in the feeling of the soft locks against her skin.

Zack moved his head when he felt someone touch it. He looked up and saw Alyssa grinning at him. "Hey there stranger." She said with a raspy voice. He smiled and practically jumped on her, hugging her tightly. "I…we were so scared I…we were going to lose you." He tried to cover up. It didn't go unnoticed by her though. Her smile got even larger as she stroked his hair.

Then she felt him shaking against her, and his grip tightened. "Hey," She soothed, "I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

He drew back and looked her square in the eyes. "Promise?" Their faces drew closer and their foreheads touched. "I promise." She whispered as their eyes closed…

The door suddenly slammed open, causing them to spring apart. Alyssa's parents, followed by all her friends came in, her mother's cheeks flushed from yelling at the nurse. Shouts of joy filled the room as everyone took turns hugging her.

Booth and Hodgens set down the numerous bags of food Angela and Brennan had gotten her and they passed around some of the goodies. Alyssa looked around the room at the smiling faces. "Oh honey we were so worried!" Her mom said. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" They laughed.

Alyssa frowned. "Where's Finn?" She asked Sophia, who had sat down on the bed next to her best friend. At that moment, a tiny blur of blonde ran into the room. "Auntie!"

Finn ran into the room winded. "Now Hunts be careful. Auntie still isn't wel…" The words died on his lips as he saw she was awake. He ran over and embraced her in a hug, pretend weeping in her arms. Everyone laughed as Alyssa tried to get him to release her. "Get off of me you great oaf and let me hug your son!" She laughed. "Baby!" She hugged and kissed Hunter. "Are you all better now Auntie? Daddy and everyone were all worr, worr," "worried," Finn instructed the two year old. "Yeah! Worried."

Alyssa laughed at her god-son's antics. "Yeah, hun. I'm all better." She rubbed his back.

They laughed and talked until the nurse came in and kicked everyone out, claiming that she needed her rest. They said their goodbyes and filed out of the room, promising to come back the next day.

Zack was the last one to leave. He didn't know what came over him, but he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to Alyssa's forehead. "Glad to have you back in the land of the living after that scare two days ago Lys." He said in a soft tone. Alyssa, in her shock, only smiled at him and rested her hand on top of his. "Goodnight," he said and left her alone with her thoughts. She touched the spot on her forehead that was still searing from the kiss. "Damn…" She whispered before succumbing to exhaustion and falling asleep.

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Three days, lots of fussing, broken glass, and several temper tantrums later Alyssa was released from the hospital with strict orders to take it easy from the bald doctor she had hit in the head with her pudding cup.

"I'm freeeee!" She threw her arms up from her wheelchair as Finn guided her out of the hospital. "Can I get out of this thing now?"

Finn shook his head, but complied with her wishes. "So bossy and whiny." She glared at him. "Watch it Fitz. I may be down, but I'm not out yet." She said.

On the drive to her house she asked him all kinds of questions about the days she had been out. He explained what had happened, choking up as he explained how they had found her and the scare in the hospital. Alyssa was touched about how much her new friends were concerned for her. Especially Zach. _Zach_. Now that was new. He was different now. Between the time he had spent "away" as everyone called it and now, he had really come out of his shell. Angela credited Alyssa with the new change, saying the young girl had done a lot of good for the young doctor.

"You're not listening to me anymore are you?" Finn asked with a smile. He easily recognized the look on his best friend's face.

Alyssa gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Just thinking." Finn laughed. "About a tall, dark haired doctor we all know?" Alyssa's face flushed, causing him to laugh harder. "Love, I know you. I've known you for what? 19 years now that I can remember? I know you like him. And I know he likes you." Finn said seriously.

They finally pulled up to the driveway and Alyssa stepped out of Finn's black Hummer, heading for the door. She opened it and stepped inside, Finn right behind her. She stepped around the corner and was met with 12 smiling faces.

"Surprise!" They were all there: Cam, Jack, Angela, Zach, Brennan, Booth, her parents, Finn's parents, and her best friend Sophia. She took turns hugging them all when something tugged at the bottom of her jeans. "Welcome home Auntie Lyssa!" Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her legs. Alyssa bent down and hugged the little boy tightly. "Thank you, sweetie. It's so good to be home."

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That night, after the parents had all left and Hunter had been put to bed, the group of nine gathered in the lounge, just talking. The conversation quickly shifted to what Finn had been dreading.

"So…Hunter. Wow, I never thought of you as a dad so young." Angela said.

Finn shifted uncomfortably but Alyssa and Sophia both sent him encouraging looks. "I mean, I know it's probably hard to say it, but you can trust us." Angela added.

"No, it's alright. You'd find out eventually anyway." He looked at everyone before starting. "It was four years ago. I had just started college at Georgetown and everything was fabulous. You know parties, ladies, and more parties. Started blowing off work really. About three months into the semester and my father was furious. I had always been partnered with Alyssa, but he assigned me to someone else." He took a deep breath.

"Her name was Eve. She had red hair and blue eyes. Gorgeous really. At first we sort of hated each other. She was all business and I was all pleasure." Everyone laughed at that. "But after a while, she warmed up to me and honestly, who couldn't? We went out for a year before she broke it off. Said it was taking up too much of her time and she didn't need a serious relationship." His eyes darkened and got a faraway look. "She was my first serious girlfriend and she ended it. Just like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Two weeks later she found me in my office and told me she was pregnant and that she wanted to get rid of it. I was…furious to say the least. She didn't even want to talk about it. Just wanted it gone so she wouldn't be slowed down with work." Sophia moved closer to him, squeezing his hand in comfort. If he noticed, he didn't let on. "I told her I'd make a deal with her: she kept the baby and took it easy during the pregnancy, and I would take it and raise it by myself and pay her half a million." He shook his head. "She took the deal. Had Hunter 6 months later. Didn't name him. Didn't even look at him. Ignored his existence as soon as he was born." He said with anger. Then he laughed bitterly. "A week later she was dead. Overdosed on anti-depressants and alcohol in Miami." Alyssa moved over and hugged him, and he absent mindedly returned the hug.

"Wow." Cam said. "What a bitch." Everyone laughed, the tension in the room disappearing. Brennan yawned and looked at the clock. It was close to one in the morning. "Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat." She said. "You should all just stay here." Alyssa offered and before anyone could protest she added, "There are plenty of rooms. Finn and Sophia know where they're staying." Sophia grinned. "And the rest of you can choose any room you want. There are plenty of them."

Jack gave her a one armed hug. "Why do you live in such a big house anyway if you're all alone?" Alyssa shoved him. "Like you're one to talk! No, it was a gift from my grandparents on my dad's side. Only grandchild and everything. Sort of a thank you for carrying on the family tradition you know?"

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Alyssa turned over in her bed. The clock flashed 3:30 A.M. She couldn't sleep. She hadn't been back in the house since the attack and she felt paranoid about falling asleep and waking up in that warehouse again. With a frustrated growl, she threw off the covers and went out the door, making her way down the hall. She opened the first door and checked on Hunter, who was sleeping peacefully. Then she opened the next door and went inside, shutting it gently behind her.

She walked over to the large bed in the corner and knelt down, grinning at the sleeping figure. She brushed a bit of hair out of his eyes and he stirred, opening his eyes to look at her.

"Hey." She said, a little nervous.

Zach looked at her sleepily. "Hey. What's wrong?"

She looked down and started playing with the corner of the sheets. "I can't sleep." She looked up into his eyes. Zach's heart raced as he looked at her. She was dressed in short shorts and a loose shirt. Her hair was all messed up from the tossing and turning, but to him, she had never looked more beautiful. Silently he threw back the covers and motioned for her to get in the bed. She gave him a smile that made his heart soar before climbing in and turning to him. He flipped onto his back and pulled her closer, allowing her to rest her head on his now toned chest. "Thank you." She mumbled before sleep claimed them both.

**A/N: Well? What do you think? REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	10. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**Chapter 10: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun**

_Click. _Alyssa groaned from her position on the bed and slightly opened her eyes. The sun was shining brightly through the windows and she was curled up against Zach, her face to his chest and his arm sprawled across her waist. She turned towards the direction of the disturbance to see Finn standing by the door, camera in hand and Sophia and Angela flanking his sides, giggling.

"FINNEGAN ALEXANDER FITZGERALD!" She screamed, startling Zach who fell over and landed roughly on the floor with an "umph" at which Alyssa cringed before turning on her best friend again. "Oh you are so going to get it mister!" And with that she jumped off the bed and proceeded to chase him down the hall and to his room and jumped on his back, causing both to go tumbling on the bed.

Cam entered the room and immediately went into mommy-mode. "Alright you two that's enough! Honestly Alyssa you just got out of the hospital. Take it easy on those ribs!" She said with a scowl that didn't reach her eyes.

"Yes mom." Alyssa and Finn answered, dusting themselves off. "Now, who wants breakfast?"

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"Will you marry me?" Jack asked Alyssa with his mouth full of his third helping of pancakes. Zach snorted into his juice. Booth, Brennan and Sweets had left for their session, Cam had to go back home and get ready for the Jeffersonian, which left Alyssa with Jack, Zach, Sophia, Finn, Hunter, and Angela.

Alyssa looked at him seriously. "Yes. I would love to." And Jack decided to play along. "Let's elope." He added. Zach chocked on his pancakes and Angela giggled. Alyssa walked over to Hodgens and wrapped her arms around him, draping her leg over his. "Let's go now. We'll go to Vegas and be back before anyone notices we're missing."

Just then a beeping noise came from the screen in the kitchen. _Incoming transmission. _Suddenly, Cole appeared on the screen.

"Good morning daddy!" Alyssa said with surprise. Cole stared at the compromising position his daughter was in. "And just what is going on here?" He asked.

"Oh! Jack just proposed. We're going to Vegas." She added seriously. The stare Cole was giving Hodgens was enough to burn a man alive. "Well then," he added. "At least someone is taking you off my hands." He said, causing Finn to spray the juice in his mouth all over the counter and Hunter to giggle at his father, and Sophia to smack the blonde up the head.

"So what's up? I was going to come in later today anyway." Alyssa said, wiping the counter. "Yes well that's what I'm calling about. You have the rest of the week off." He said.

"But dad…"

"No buts. The only but is your butt resting for the rest of the week. I don't want to hear it Alyssa." He stated as she started to argue. "I'm your father and technically your boss and that is the final decision." He said sternly. "Finn, Sophia, I'll see you by 12."

"By Uncle Cole!" Sophia got in before the transmission ended. "Well, that settles it. What the hell are you going to do without work for a week?" She asked her best friend.

Alyssa pouted. "I don't know."

"Oh sweetie you should come to lunch with me today! Soph, you too. We'll take Brennan and Cam with us. Make it a girls' day!" Angela said excitedly.

Sophia groaned. "Thanks Ang but Finn and I have loads of reports to go over and there is a meeting today for assignments so I can't make it."

The girls looked at each other and realized the guys were still quiet. Looking over, they saw all three still stuffing their faces with the breakfast and Hunter giggling and egging them on. Catching each other's eyes they simultaneously said "MEN!"

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At one o'clock Alyssa made her way over to Brennan's office, where Angela was trying to convince her to take a lunch break. "Angela I really can't. Booth and I have an appointment with Sweets in an hour."

Angela just waved her hand. "Oh screw some psychological evaluation." Alyssa came into the room to back her up. "Yeah take a break. Miss an appointment. Be bad for once Tempe. Be bad!" Brennan chuckled at the young girl's antics. "No now you two go."

Alyssa turned to Angela. "Two? So I'm guessing Cam's a no?" Angela just sighed. "She's meeting with her foster daughter Michelle's teachers at school. Honestly, does anyone here do _anything _fun anymore?" She sighed with exasperation.

Alyssa threw an arm around her shoulder in comfort. "Come on. I'll buy us some lunch and we can spend the entire hour dishing about men." Angela laughed. "Now that's more like it sister."

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They were sitting in the diner waiting for the food and Angela was waiting for the right moment to bring up what was on her mind. _No time like the present I guess. _She thought. "So you have a thing for Zach huh?" She proceeded casually. Alyssa, caught off guard by the question, spewed her coke all over the table and coughed violently. Angela cringed at the reaction. "I'm sorry?" She managed to get out between coughs. "What… I mean what would give you that idea?" Alyssa said nervously.

Angela just rolled her eyes. "Sweetie I may work in the lab, but I am not as naïve as everyone else there. I can see the connection between you guys a mile away. You have to give me some credit there."

Alyssa sighed in defeat. "Alright yes. I may be somewhat attracted to Zach." Angela did a silent cheer. "But nothing can happen between us." She looked down and stirred her drink.

"What? Why?" Angela asked.

Alyssa frowned in frustration. "Because…because I got out of a bad relationship recently. Well not recently. About four months before I met you guys."

Angela just narrowed her eyes and stared. "Uh huh. Now try again. And the truth this time."

Alyssa just threw down the fry in her hand with frustration. "Because it would never work between us ok? I'm a twenty one year old set to take over a company that makes me travel to the corners of the world to make peace talks with guns and Zach is…Zach is a smart and brilliant scientist with a fabulous future ahead of him and, and I just…" She trailed off.

"Think he's too good to be true for you?" Angela finished.

Alyssa gave her a sad smile in return. "Yeah."

Angela grabbed her hand across the table. "Oh sweetie you can't think like that. He understands you and cares about you and I'm positive he feels the same way."

Alyssa just stared out the window again. "But what if he doesn't? I don't want to risk our friendship like that Angie."

"But…"

"No."

Angela gave up for the moment. "Fine. I'll let it go. For now."

"Thank you." Alyssa sighed. "Now, tell me about the time you and Jack got caught in the closet by security…"

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_That night_

"Mmmm…pass me the cookie dough." Alyssa said to Sophia as she dropped the empty chocolate fudge brownie Ben and Jerry's container. They were sitting in Alyssa's room watching re-runs of Smallville.

"_I want a lawyer." _

"_And I want a ponytail! Disappointment abounds." _

"Dude. What's on your mind? Ever since the hospital you just have this look on your face like you want to say something but you don't know how to say it." Sophia said as she passed the cookie dough.

"_I did have to find out about your green leather fetish on my own." _

Alyssa put down her spoon and looked at her other best friend. "That night when I was in the hospital?" She started. Sophia motioned with her spoon for her to go on. "I saw…I saw him Sophia. I saw Grady." She whispered. Sophia dropped the spoon in her mouth into the container. "WHAT?!?!"

"I know. I know it's not possible but he was there Soph." She added in desperation.

Sophia looked at her, then said in a barely audible whisper, "I was so scared you know. I was scared I was going to lose you. Just like him…"

_Three years ago_

_An eighteen year old Alyssa, Finn, Sophia, and Grady were watching Ocean's Eleven, as it was a favorite in the group. They were all curled up in the basement at Grady's house, with baby Hunter sleeping the guest bedroom and Grady's parents and sister sleeping three floors up. _

_They drifted to sleep one by one, Grady and Alyssa being the last ones up. She curled up next to him, watching as Finn wrapped an arm around Sophia in his sleep. "They'll get together someday." He whispered in her ear. "I'm sure of it." She laughed quietly. "Only if they stop being stupid long enough to realize their feelings for each other." And with that she closed her eyes and slept._

_She was woken in the middle of the night when she felt movement beside her. She opened her eyes long enough to see Grady rush to the bathroom and slam the door behind him, which woke up Sophia and Finn. _

"_What's going on?" _

"_Get your arm off me Finn!" _

_Alyssa ignored them and ran to the bathroom, banging on the door. _

"_Grades you ok?" _

_Finn came up behind her and knocked. "Mate what's wrong?" _

_Sophia just pushed them both aside. "Oh for heaven's sake!" She opened the door and let out a blood curling scream. Grady was slumped next to the toilet, holding toilet paper up to his nose and the front of his white wife beater was covered in blood. Finn rushed forward to help him before turning to the girls. "Call an ambulance and go wake his parents. Grab Hunter, we're going to the hospital." He told Alyssa. She nodded before rushing out. "Sophia. Soph. Mercy!" He snapped her out of her shock. "Grab a cloth or something to help him and help me get him upstairs. She ran off. _

"_You're going to be ok man just hang on." He told Grady, whose only response was a weak laugh and a shake of the head. _

_At three in the morning they got to the hospital and Grady was hooked up to all kinds of machines. _

"_Your sons had a hemorrhage because of the leukemia. He's stable for now." The doctor told Mr. and Mrs. Collins. _

_At nine, Grady was gone. His funeral was a week later. Everyone, even James Fitzgerald and Alyssa's dad were crying over the young man. For weeks after, the trio was inconsolable…_

"Worst day of our lives." Sophia gave Alyssa a bittersweet smile before they turned back to the screen.

"_You make one hell of a can opener."_

"_You look good on a bag of green beans." _

"That Green Arrow is one yummy super hero." Sophia said, her eyes glued to the screen.

Alyssa laughed and stared. "I know right? I want to know what's under all that green leather…"

**A/N: Ok I know it was a long wait and I'm sorry but between college applications and losing some of my inspiration because there are no new episodes of anything right now it got late. Very late. And to make up for it, this is the longest chapter. And also, some trailers for my next fan fic. Let me know which one you like best!!!!!**

_Charmed: _(it'll be in two parts) FUTURE BACKUP Chris/OC

Part one: set right after Chris-crossed except Bianca was truly evil and didn't die

_Bianca had betrayed them. She had managed to get out but no place on earth or the underworld would save her from Wyatt. So her mentor did the only thing he could think of. _

_The sisters and Leo were arguing with Chris in the attic when a blue light engulfed them and two figures stepped out. _

"_COLE?!?" All three sisters gasped. He looked at all of them. His phoebe, Paige the one who vanquished him, and…a pregnant Piper. As if that wasn't enough of a shock, Chris rushed forward and engulfed the man in a hug. "What are you doing here?" He asked._

_Cole cringed. "We have a problem."_

"_What…" But the words died on Chris's lips as a figure stepped forward. "Hey oh fearless leader. Miss me?" A nervous girl stepped towards him._

"_Grant? But you…how…there…Why are you here?" He finally managed to get out. (Grant is her last name by the way.)_

"_Guess what babe? You weren't the only one Bianca sold to Wyatt." She said with a sad smile. _

_The Covenant:_Mr. and Mrs. SimmsTyler/OC

"_You guys didn't really think you were the only witches in the world did you?" A girl in a mask asked the four stunned boys. _

"_That is not the point Ms. Halls. Everyone have a seat." A tall man said. _

"_Will someone explain what the fuck is going on?" Reid asked impatiently. _

"_Reid Garwin watch your language." His mother scolded and the others snickered. _

"_Well alright. There is a new threat to our secret existence and to fight him we need to combine our powers, but for you that's not possible at the moment." The man said again._

"_Because when we use we lose." Caleb stated calmly. _

"_Exactly. But we have found a way around that." Another man in the circle spoke. All four boys and their families turned to him with surprise. "How?" Pogue asked. _

_The man moved uncomfortably. "Well…to remove your curse and combine our powers we need to establish a connection between one of you and one of us. And the more power from our side the better." _

"_What does that mean?" Caleb asked. _

"_Well, this is the tough part." The woman next to the second man answered. "And I was against this, but…one of you has to…marry…one of us." She finished. _

"_WHAT????" The four boys and two of the girls that had brought them to the location yelled. _

"_You can't just do that! Some of us are already in relationships." Pogue said as he clasped Kate's hand. _

_The first man spoke again. "Yes well not all of you. Pogue and Caleb are out for your obvious attachments. Reid is too unpredictable." That got a "hey!" out of Reid and snickers from the boys. "Which leaves me." Tyler finished. He was pale and frowning. _

"_yes." The first man responded. _

"_And the girl? If…it is a girl?" Caleb asked and got hit over the head by Tyler. _

"_The most powerful of us all." The first man looked to the brunette girl that had been with them. She looked at him with shock. "WHAT?!?!" _

"_You have to marry Tyler Simms. And you have to do it in the next six months." _

_Smallville: _THE HIGH PROTECTOR Oliver/OC

Set after Stiletto

_He had a funny feeling that night. He knew that helping the Justice League would have some sort of consequence. _

_Now he was lying face down behind a desk in a room with a glass case of kryptonite, Bart had been sedated, Victor was strapped to a table, AC was knocked unconscious, Black Canary was in a holding cell somewhere in the building, and Oliver was standing next to the table, arms up and five guns pointed at his head. And to top it all off, Tess Mercer was walking towards him about to pull his glasses off with a smirk on her face. _

_What he hadn't been expecting was what happened next: There was a bright light and the guards were knocked down. Tess turned around to find a woman standing there in a white leather skirt, top, and knee high boots. She fired her gun, but paled when the bullets hit the figure and fell to the ground._

_She laughed and with a wave of her hand sent Tess flying into the wall and effectively knocking her out. Oliver put his hands down and grabbed his bow, pointing it in her direction. She just laughed more. "Relax jolly green giant. I'm on your side." She walked towards the table, but doubled over as she reached Clark, whose eyes turned the size of saucers at her reaction. _

_She backed up and looked at Green Arrow, who was staring at her. "Ok, how about you get the kryptonian and I'll grab the one on the table and Speedy Gonzalez over there." She pointed in Bart's direction. _

_Just as they were getting out of the room, AC still unconscious and in Clark's arms, Black Canary rounded the corner. "What did I miss?" She said in a hoarse voice. At their questioning glance she added, "bastards hit me in the throat so I couldn't scream." She then looked at their newest addition. "Who is she?" _

_They heard shuffling which meant the guards were getting up. "No time for pleasantries. We need to get out of here." Green Arrow turned to Bart, "can you super speed?" _

_Bart shook his head, "still working off those sedatives boss man." _

_The sound of running got closer and the woman in white suddenly grabbed Bart and Clark, "Come on I know how we can get out of here, just grab onto someone." And with that, the seven of them vanished into thin air as Tess and her guards came into the hallway. _

_They suddenly appeared in at the clock tower, where Chloe was waiting for them. At their appearance her eyes widened. "Who are YOU?" Chloe asked. _

_Clark turned to the new comer. "That's what I want to know. And how did you know I was Kryptonian?" He asked in a clipped tone. _

_The woman smirked and cocked her head to the side. "Now Clark. Is that any way to treat family?" _


	11. Tis the Season

**A/N: Sorry it took forever, but between college applications and everything, my Bones muse is dead, though my X Men Origins muse and Covenant muse are both alive and kicking rather violently haha. The lack of reviews doesn't really help much. So if you like faster updates, review!!!! **

Chapter 11: Tis the Season

It was the middle of December. It had been months since Alyssa's conversation with Angela. Ever since admitting her feelings, they seemed to have grown stronger. There was just something about Zach that was…intoxicating.

Her current position didn't help at all. She was sitting on a stool at the Jeffersonian, waiting for Brennan and Booth to finish up their case report so they could all go out to eat. Zach was standing behind her, hands on her shoulders, and she was leaning into him, the scent of Old Spice filling her nostrils. _Holy crap I have it BAD! _She thought to herself.

"Are those two still in there?" Angela rolled her eyes as she walked in side by side with Jack, her coat draped over her arm.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "You know those two. They have to flirt, do a little work, flirt some more, argue in the form of flirting, flirt one last time, and then finish."

Zach frowned. "I wasn't aware of any sort of attraction between Agent Booth and Doctor Brennan. I thought they were acting professionally." Hodgens snorted. "Man, the sexual tension between those two is like…" He never finished his sentence though, for at that moment the sliding door opened and the pair walked out laughing. "What?" Brennan said at their expressions.

"Eh…nothing Sweetie. We were just…" Angela left off.

"We were just wondering when you two were coming out." Alyssa improvised. Angela sent her a grateful glance before slipping on her coat. "Now, shall we? I'm starving."

Zach rolled his eyes and squeezed her shoulders. "When aren't you starving?" He said with a smile. She tilted her head up and looked at him, a smile on his face and brown eyes twinkling.

_Oh man…I am SOOOOO screwed…_

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_December 23_

She felt like she was sixteen again and at a boring stuffy party with her parents. The squint squad members were chatting with the patrons, all except Wendell. He was Brennan's graduate student and was interning with the Jeffersonian, helping Zach and Jack with the cases. The three of them were now close friends.

Booth stood at the bar with her, his expression mirroring hers. "I can't believe we got roped into coming here." He said. Alyssa snorted into her drink and was met with his questioning gaze. Beside her, Wendell sniggered. "Booth honey," she started gently, "if Tempe told you to jump off a building in a tutu singing Barbie Girl you would do it."

"No I wouldn't."

"Yes you would."

"No I wouldn't."

"Yes you w…"

"Guys enough. People are staring." Wendell whispered.

Booth and Alyssa looked at each other. "Wanna dance?" He asked. "Sure." She shrugged as he grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor. Wendell watched them go, fascinated by the quick change in their moods. For a bunch of highly trained agents, they sure were immature.

Booth twirled her on the dance floor as they circled around with the other couples, occasionally sneaking glances at their friends. Cam was talking to a few board members, occasionally sipping at her martini. He twirled her around and they saw Jack and Angela holding each other close and dancing in a corner. "God I wish they would suck up their pride and get back together already. Everyone knows it's going to happen," Alyssa rolled her eyes.

Booth made a sound in agreement and twirled her again, and the sight that met her eyes made her blood boil. Naomi from paleontology had Zach cornered and was talking to him, and her friend was looking more than a little uncomfortable.

"Did you just growl kid?" Booth asked her.

"Look at that." She pointed them out. "Obviously he's uncomfortable." She narrowed her eyes in their direction. Booth chuckled at her jealousy. "Are you laughing at me Booth? You think this is funny?" He nodded, still laughing quietly. She smirked her 'evil smirk' as it had come to be known. "Will you keep thinking it's funny when I tell you that that doctor from Georgetown is hitting on Brennan pretty hard?" The smile dropped off his face as he spun around and glared in the doctor's direction. If looks could kill, the man would have a bullet hole in his forehead.

"What do you say you go save your guy and I go get my girl?" He told her, one eyebrow raised. "I say you're on partner." They shook hands and walked off in opposite directions.

She strode purposefully towards Zach. "Zach!" She said his name and he turned around, his face breaking into a relieved smile at seeing her. Naomi just scowled at having been interrupted. "You owe me a dance. Sorry Naomi." She took his drink and put it on the table, then dragged him off to the dance floor.

"Thank you. I'm pretty sure I just lost a few brain cells listening to her talk about her hair and dress." He rolled his eyes and pulled her closer as the DJ started playing Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Her heartbeat quickened as she melted into his arms. She put one hand in his and the other on his arm, her head resting against his shoulder as they moved to the beat of the music.

He laughed suddenly, bringing her out of the daze she was in. At her questioning look, he gestured to the side with his head. She turned her head and had to bite her lip to stop the laugh bubbling inside her: a few feet away, Wendell, redder than a tomato, was being dragged onto the dance floor by a tipsy Camille. Brennan had her face buried in Booth's shoulder to stop from laughing, and the FBI agent was snapping pictures one after the other, giggling like a maniac.

"She will not be happy when she sees those." Zach murmured in her ear. "There is a rather good chance she will attempt to murder Agent Booth."

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

They walked next to each other into the lab behind everyone else after getting out of the limo. Zach had his arm thrown casually over Alyssa's shoulder. They stopped before the parking lot and turned to face each other. "I had a lot of fun tonight. Thanks for inviting me." She bit her lip and looked up into his warm brown eyes.

"Yeah." He trailed off. "I'm glad you came. It wouldn't have been as fun without you." He said.

"So you leave for Michigan tomorrow?" She asked.

His eyebrows furrowed. His family had wanted him home for Christmas. "Have to catch a flight at 8:00 in the morning. Hodgins is driving me to the airport."

Somewhere along the conversation their faces had inched together, only centimeters apart.

"I guess I'll see you when you get back then." She whispered, eyes half shut.

"I guess you will." His hand came to rest against her neck.

"One week?"

"One week." He nodded slightly in the affirmative.

Their eyes shut, lips millimeters apart…

And then there was a loud honk. "Zach come on! I want to get home!" They sprang apart, eyes open wide. They looked at each other with shocked expressions. "I have to…" Zach motioned to the garage with his hands. "Yeah. I'll talk to you later." She nodded. They walked in different directions, thinking the same thing: _almost. _

Alyssa walked to her Mercedes and unlocked the door, banging her head against the frame.

"He ruined it didn't he?" She jumped, startled, and looked at Angela, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a peeved expression on her face.

"Yup."

"Men suck."

**A/N: Haha you didn't think I'd make it that easy did you? Review my lovelies. They make me write faster when I know the story has interest still. **


	12. Unexpected

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. For those of you who asked, I didn't forget Zach's hands, I was just saving that for a different scene. Enjoy!!**

Chapter 12: Unexpected

She frowned. She was surrounded by the white walls of the hospital room. She hated hospitals. She especially hated the reason she was there now.

Zach was sitting on the bed as the doctor examined his hands. For a moment she wondered what they would feel like. _No! Bad Alyssa! Can't think like that right now! _Things had fortunately not gotten awkward since the incident before Christmas two weeks ago.

Now she was with him in the doctor's office again, as she was about every two weeks for the check up on his hands. She focused her attention on them now: the gloves weren't hiding them from her anymore. After getting out, Zach never took off his gloves. Never. At night, he just wrapped them in bandages before going to bed. She assumed the only time they weren't covered was in the shower.

This was the first time she had actually seen his hands, even though she had been coming to his appointments with him for a long time. Usually she waited outside or went to get a coffee at his request. She knew he didn't want her to see him that way.

"Now Mr. Addy, everything is progressing fine. The tissue regeneration is going along smoothly, and I assume in a few months things will be relatively back to normal." He wrote on his clipboard. "And I will see you in another two weeks."

Zach nodded, picking up the gloves again. "Thank you doctor."

Doctor Adams and Alyssa smiled politely at each other before he took his leave. She stood up and walked over to the bed. Zach was trying to put his gloves back on before he felt her grab his wrist. "Stop," she said quietly. "Let me see." She matched his stubborn look with one of her own before he gave in.

Alyssa carefully turned over his hand, examining the scars that covered the surface. Before she could touch them, Zach snatched his hand back and rapidly pulled the gloves on again.

"I don't feel comfortable when people try to look at them." He explained coldly.

"I'm not people. I'm me." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine. I don't like to look at them."

"Why?" He looked away uncomfortably. "Zach, tell me why."

He sighed. "Because…they remind me of my weakness in that situation. I have an incredibly high IQ. I shouldn't have been so susceptible to the influence of another." He explained, looking down at his hands with a look of shame.

Alyssa's arms dropped limply to her sides. _Oh._ Her eyes softened as she looked at Zach, who was looking anywhere to avoid her eyes. She grasped his chin in her hands and forced him to look at her. "You are NOT weak Zach Addy. Far from it. So you made a mistake. We all make them."

"But I should have come to the rational conclusion and…" Alyssa shook her head. "Human emotion is far from rational. Fear. Anger. Hell, even love. There's nothing rational about them. Especially love." She whispered. Their faces were dangerously close to each other and the hand that was holding his chin slipped down to his arms.

"Ok Doctor Addy," the doctor came in, startling the pair. They jumped apart and the hint of a blush worked its way up Alyssa's cheeks as she ran a hand through her hair. Thankfully the doctor was still looking at his chart and had missed the closeness between the two.

"Now you're progressing a lot better. Your hands have almost entirely healed, though there is some major scarring. Now you do have the option of surgery to correct the scars. But it won't be until after you are fully healed." He addresses Zach.

The drive back to the lab had been silent. Not the comfortable silent they were used to, but one filled with tension.

Once inside, he turned to look at her. "Thank you. For everything." The sincerity in his voice drove her to do the only thing she could think of. She wrapped her arms around him, drawing him to her fully. He tensed at first, not used to the feeling, but slowly brought his arms to wrap around her firmly. "You are nothing like him." She whispered. "You are smart and kind and you could never hurt another person like that."

They drew apart, the awkwardness gone, before they hear something shatter. Looking at each other, they moved to the entry way and looked up at the platform.

The sight before them was a mix of disturbing and heartwarming, though it was more the former. There was Cam, sitting on one of the tables, completely wrapped around Agent O'Brien. They were so into the heated moment that they didn't notice the two.

Zach tapped Alyssa on the shoulder and pointed to the top balcony, where Hodgins and Angela were giggling like school girls.

She cleared her throat, making the two jump apart. Cam moved quickly off the table and straightened out her dress and Luke fixed his tie, grinning sheepishly at his boss's daughter. "Nice lunch?" Alyssa asked with humor.

"You could say that." O'Brien said with a smirk of his own.

Angela came down from the stairs to join the rest. "Did you guys even make it to lunch?" She said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Cam blushed deeply, while Luke just smirked and high fived Hodgins, for which both men got glared at.

"What's going on?" Brennan asked as she and Booth came in from the most recent crime scene.

Cam was, at this point, redder than a tomato as Zach, Alyssa, Angela, and Jack all grinned. Surprisingly, it was Zach who spoke up. "We walked in on Dr. Saroyan and Agent O'Brien in a compromising situation and evidently they never made it to lunch." Booth grinned at the expression on the couple's faces as Brennan simply rolled her eyes and walked up to the lab station.

Sometimes, her friends could be so immature.

**A/N: I know I'm awful. It's been months. But I was trying to get into a college I swear. And now that I'm in (insert author's happy dance here) I plan on updating way faster. And I know this was a filler, but I promise the next one will have action in it.**

**You know what to do!!! Review!!!**


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